Mail catcher and deliverer.



N0. 632,10L Patented Aug. 29,1899.

B. CHAMBERLAIN.

MAIL CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

(Application filed. Jan. 19, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l No. 632,!0l. Patented Aug. 29, 1899.

B. CHAMBERLAIN.

MAIL CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

I 2 Sheets-Sheet' 2.

(No Model.)

@Utomuao MM SN xx 2 m 4. R L M \m W m 9% UNrrED STATES BLANCHARDCHAMBERLAIN,

OF BELLEFONTAINE, OHIO.

MAIL CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,101, dated August29, 1899. Application filed Jan ary 19, 1899. Serial NO. 702,705: (Nmodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BLANCHARD CHAMBER- LAIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Bellefontaine, in the county of Logan and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Catchersand Deliverers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for catching anddelivering mail-bags,

by means of which mail may be taken on and delivered from a movingrailway-train.

The objects of my invention are to provide means whereby amail bag orbags may be taken from a crane located at the side of the track, orwherebya mail bag or bags may be delivered to said crane, or wherebyboth of these transfers may be made simultaneously without interferingwith each other.v

Further objects of my invention are to provide means for making thetransfers mentioned which will be practically automatic in action andwhich will be easily operated, effective, and inexpensive, which willsubject the bags to the minimum amount of strain and wear and whichmeans may be applied with fewer changes and at much less expense than isthe case with other systems to the appliances now commonly used forcatching and delivering bags, as set forth, for instance, in my formerpatent, reissued February 8, 1898, No. 11,649.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the construction andcombinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure Us a side elevation of apart of apostal car, showing the door-jambs with my improved mail catching anddelivering device attached thereto in the position it would naturallyassume when not in use. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showingamail-hag attached to the delivery portion of the device, which is shownin the position assumed when a mailbag is to be delivered. Fig. 3 is across-section, looking downward, on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. at is atop view of the receiving-hook of the crane. Fig. 5 is a top view of theouter part of the delivery-arm. Fig. 6 is an end view of the same. Fig.7 is, a detail side view showing the supporting-hook for thedelivery-arm. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sling by means ofwhich the bags are suspended, and Fig. 9 is a top plan view showing amodification of the removable catcher-arm.

A represents the door-jambs of, a railway mail-car, to which areattached stops a on the inside and brackets a on the outside, in whichis journaled the catcher-rod B, which is provided with anoperating-handle b, a stoparm'b, a collar b a rubber buffer 17 and asecuring-pin b, all of these features, broadly speaking, being oldexcept the stop a and the stop-arm b. Cast upon or otherwise secured tothe rod B is the catcher-arm O, curved outward at the end 0. This armbelongs to one of the usual types.

D represents a removable arm, which is one of the important features ofmy invention. Its outer end is curved, as at d, andits inner end d isbent so as to form a hook. This hook is concaved to fit around the rodB, or each of them may have a flat portion. These concentric or fiatportions engage with each other and keep the arm and rod in the sameposition with respect to each other when they are fastened together,which is done by means of the collars 01 each of which is provided witha set-screw d Near the outer end of the arm D it is provided with aslot, in which is pivoted at d a retaining-dog d normally held in theposition shown in Fig. 3 by the spring d, which is fastened to the armD.

The position and arrangement of the parts are such that the arms 0 and Dform a parallel track with a flaring mouth, closed under ordinaryconditions by the dog 01, which latter, however, will yield to the blowof the sling carrying a mail-bag, but will fly back to its originalposition under the action of the spring 61 as soon as the sling haspassed it.

In Fig. 9 is shown a modification of the removable catcher-arm. It isthe same as has been already described, except that it is provided witha circular projection 61 provided with a perforation just large enoughtoallow the sling to pass therethrough, so that it may be convenientlyremoved by the clerk from the track formed by the catcher-arms O and D.The rearward portion of this track is closed by a bulfer c, of rubber orother suitable material, held upon the arm (3 by wires 0*.

Near the rear end' of the arm 0 an open catch 0 is fixed by means of ascrew 0. This catch is provided with projecting beveled ends 0 forming amouth for the reception of the delivery-arm E, and is preferably made ofstout spring metal. This arm is one of the principal features of myinvention. It consists of a flat bar 6, provided on its inner end with acircular enlargement e, which is perforated and swings freely on the rodB. Near the center of the arm E are two parallel ears 0', in the rearpart of which,at 6 is pivoted a supporting-pin 6 upon which fits one ofthe slings carrying a mail-bag. The rear part of this pin is flattenedto fit between the ears 6, and the front part is slightly bent outwardto afford plenty of room for the sling. The outer end of the pin e issecured in the spring-catch 6 which is fastened-to the forward end ofthe arm E. The catch e is provided with flaring lips a and an enlargedportion a, in which the end of the pin 6 rests. The catch e is notintended to support .any considerable portion of the suspended mail-bag,which is carried almost entirely by the pin 6 but simply to hold the pine in position and to prevent the sling from slipping oif the pin. Thearm E is suspended freely on the rod 13, so that it can be swung (whenin the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1) into the car by themail-clerk. The bag carried by a sling is placed on the pin e which isswung into the catch 6 and the arm E slid into the position shown indotted lines in Fig. l, resting in the depression 0 of the'catch 0 Theapparatus is then ready to deliver a mail-bag, when the handle b ispulled down until the stop-arm 7) reaches and rests upon the stop a.

The sling in which the bags are secured is shown in Fig. 8. It consistsof a wire rope or an ordinary rope, strap, or chain F doubled uponitself and having free ends f. The doubled part is secured together by afasteningf terminating in a loop, in which is secured an eye f. At f therope is doubleknotted to form a projection large enough to prevent thesling from falling between the arms 0 and D. Below the knots f is awasher f which usually acts as a support for the sling, although theknots f are large enough for this purpose. Below the washer f is aspiral spring f, which is used simply to prevent wear of the rope, whileat the same time it is perfectly flexible. Of course a covering ofrawhide, of spun yarn, or any flexible and wear-resisting material maybe used instead of this spring. The advantages of this arrangement arethat the wear and tear upon the mail-bags are reduced to a minimum andthat two or more mail-bags may be suspended from the same sling.

The bag which is to be caught is suspended from the ordinary crane,having the swinging weighted arm G, on which a pin 1 is pivoted at g.The pin 9 engages the eye f" of the sling. The receiving part of thecrane is substantially the same as is shown in my reissued Patent No.11,649, dated February 8, 1898, already referred to. Therefore only afragment is shown. H represents a swinging arm which carries areversible receiving-hook I. The arm H has a socket (shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3) into which fits a reduced por tion 1' of the hook I. Apin it, passing through the arm H and hook I, holds the latter in itsproper position.

The hook I is composed of the substantially parallel arms 01, flaringoutward at A retaining-dog 71 is pivoted at '5 in a slot in one of thearms 2" and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 4 bythespring 2' fastened to one of the arms 2'. The hook is provided with arubber buffer '5, held in place by wires 2' It is also provided with aneye t" carrying a spring-catch i which is slipped over the rope f of thesling F, thus holding the swinging arm H in proper position for the hookI to catch the sling of the bag delivered from the car in windy weatherand also preventing the bag hung from the pin g from swinging out ofposition when the wind is high.

The operation is as follows: Suppose a mailbag is to be delivered fromand another received upon the car. The postal clerk swings the arm Einto the car, passes the pin e through the eye f of the sling carryingthe bag, swings the pin into the catch a, and slips the arm E intoengagement with the hook 0 As the station is approached, the clerkpresses down the handle 12 until the stoparm b comes into contact withthe stop a. By this time (or soon after) the parts will be in theposition shown in-Fig. 3, the arrow showing the direction of motion ofthe car. The arms 0 and D pass around the sling supported on the pin 9and slip it off said pin, which is free to swing, if it should benecessary. The sling carrying the bag falls upon the arms 0 and D, thewasher f resting upon said arms. The dog (1 yields and permits the slingto pass it, when it is at once snapped back into engagement with the arm0 by the spring (1 thus securely holding the sling and bag. Meanwhilethe sling and accompanying bag supported on the pin 6 have reached thehook I. The arms 2" pass around the sling, which is carried forwarduntil it strikes the buffer 21. The shock frees the pin 6 from thespring-catch e. The pin swings backward, (see the dotted lines in Fig.5,) the sling slips off the pin 6 and falls until the washer f restsupon the arms 1 the spring-operated dog 2' preventing the sling fromslipping out of engagement with the arms a". After passing the stationthe handle I) is gradually released, and the weight of the bag and ofthe apparatus itself brings the latter into the position shown inFig. 1. The dog d is then pressed against the arm D, the projectingportion (1 being used for this purpose, and the sling and bag allowed toslide out. The releasing of the bag from the hook I and the operationwhen only one bag is handled, whether it is received or delivered, areplain without further explanation.

One of the chief advantages of the particular form in which I haveembodied my invention is that by the use thereof the mailbag andsupporting-crane may be located fully twelve inches farther from thetrack, owing to the shape and position of the catcherarms 0 and D. Thisis a very important point. In the systems now in use the mail-bags arehung so close to the track that serious accidents often occur by reasonof the engineers or firemen leaning out of the cab-window and beingstruck by the mail-bag or by the crane. Similar accidents often occuralso to the trainmen on freight trains especially. Another of theadvantages of my invention is that the two chief features ofimprovement, the arms D and E, are separable parts and may be directlyapplied to the ordinary forms of mail-bag catchers without any materialchanges of the latter. In fact, the old catcher rod and arm may be usedwithout any changes whatever, except the addition of the hook c to thearm 0, which is a very simple and inexpensive matter. If, however, theapparatus were to be built new as a whole, the details couldadvantageously be varied. For example, the arms 0 and D and the portionssecuring them to the rod 13 could all be made in one piece, and it isobvious that many other changes might be made without departing from thespirit of my invention. I therefore wish it to be distinctly understoodthat I do not limit myself to the exact details shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a mail catcher and deliverer, a catcherrod provided with a handleand with two substantially parallel catcher-arms, inclined to said rodand adapted to receive a sling, substantially as described.

2. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of supportingbrackets, and a catcher-rod rotatably mounted in said brackets, saidcatcher-rod being provided with a handle and with two substantiallyparallel catcher-arms with a flaring mouth, forming a track inclinedrelatively to the catcher-rod and adapted to receive a sling,substantially as described.

3. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a rotatablecatcher-rod, provided with a handle and a catcher-arm, and a sec ondcatcher-arm removably secured to said catcher-rod substantially parallelto the firstnamed catcher arm, substantially as described.

4. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a rotatablecatcher-rod, provided with a handle and a catcher-arm, and adelivery-arm slidably and rotatably mounted on said catcher-rod,substantially as described.

5. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a rotatablecatcher-rod provided with a handle and a catcher-arm, a deliveryarmslidably and rotatably mounted on said catcher rod and means for causingsaid catcher-rod and delivery-arm to rotate in unison, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a car, bracketssecured to said car, an immovable stop mounted on the inside of thedoor-jamb, a catcher-rod rotatably mounted in said brackets and providedwith a stop-rod, a handle, a catcher-arm and a collar, and a rubbercushion on said catcherrod, substantially as described.

7. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a car, bracketssecured to said car, an immovable stop mounted on the inside of thedoor-jamb, and a catcher-rod, rotatably mounted in said brackets andprovided with a handle, a stop-rod and two substantially parallelcatcher-arm's, substantially as described.

8. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a catcher-rodprovided with a handle and a catcher-arm, a second catcherarmsubstantially parallel to the first catcherarm, means for removablysecuring said second catcher-arm to the catcher-rod and a cushion orbufferbetween said catcher-arms, substantially as described.

9. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination ofsupporting-brackets, a catcherrod mounted in said brackets, said rodbeing provided with a handle and with two substantially parallel arms,said arms forming a fiarin g month at the outer extremity,aspringactuated dog to normally close said mouth and a buffer or cushionsecured to said arms,

substantially as described.

10. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a car providedwith a stop and with brackets, a catcher-rod mounted in said bracketsand provided with a handle, and a stop rod and two substantiallyparallel catcherarms, a spring actuated dog and cushions, one of saidcushions being secured to said catcher arms, substantially as described.

11. In a mail catcher and deliverer,the combination of a catcher-rodprovided with a handle and a catcher-arm,a delivery-arm rotatably andslidably mounted on said catcherrod and means connected to saidcatcher-arm for causing the delivery-arm and catcher-rod to rotate inunison,substantially as described.

12. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination ofsupporting-brackets, a catcherrod provided with a handle and with acatcherarm and rotatably mounted in said brackets, a delivery-armrotatably and slidably mounted on said catcher-rod and a catch securedto said catcher-arm, substantially as described.

13. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a car providedwith brackets and a stop, a catcher-rod provided with a stoprod, ahandleand a catcher-arm, a catch secured to said catcher-arm and adelivery-arm slidably mounted on said catcher-rod, substantially asdescribed.

14. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a catcher-rod,two substantially parallel catcher-arms secured to said rod, and in aninclined position relatively thereto, and a cushion secured between saidcatcher-arms at the rear end, substantially as described.

15. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a rotatablecatcher-rod provided with a handle, with a collar and with two parallelinclined catcher-arms, acushion secured between said catcher-arms at therear end,and a cushion on said catcherrod in contact with said collar,substantially as described.

16. In a mail catcher and deliverer, a delivery-arm provided with aperforated extension at one end, a spring-catch at the other end and apin pivoted in ears located between the ends, substantially asdescribed.

17. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a removablecatcher-arm having one end bent so as to form an acute angle to the arm,said end being concaved on one side, and having the other end bent so asto form an obtuse angle to the arm and having a slot, a dog pivoted insaid slot and extending on both sides of the arm and a spring,substantially as described.

18. In a mail catcher and deliverer, a catcher-hook composed of twosubstantially parallel arms with a flaringmouth, one of said arms beingslotted, a dog pivoted in said slotted arm, a spring and a cushion insaid hook, substantially as described.

19. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a catcher-hook,provided with a spring-catch on its rear, and means for suspending amail bag, substantially as de scribed.

20. In a mail catcher and deliverer, the combination of a pin,supportsfor said pin, amailbag and a sling, consisting of a rope doubled onitself forming a loop, a knot or its equivalent and a spiral springsurrounding part of the doubled portion of the rope, substantially asdescribed.

21. A sling for supporting a mail-bag, consisting of a rope doubled onitself and fastened together for a part of its length forming a loop, aneye in said loop, supporting means located beneath said loop and acovering of wear-resisting material below said means, substantially asdescribed. 7

1 22. A sling for supporting a mail-bag, con sisting of a rope doubledon itself and fastened together for a part of its length forming a loop,a metal eye in said loop, a knot, a washer, and a spiral springsurrounding part of the doubled portion of the rope, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BLANOHARD CHAMBERLAIN Vitnesses:

PERCY C. BOWEN, CLARENCE A. BATEMAN.

